"Haha, she’s just worried about keeping the custor waiting. Doesn’t that show her dedication? It’s a good thing."
It was close to six o’clock already. Xu Xiaoya changed into casual clothes, and they took a taxi to the agreed-upon restaurant.
It was a large, open-air eatery. Its ambiance and prices were quite ordinary.
The civil servant hadn’t arrived yet, so the two of them were drinking the free, subpar tea while skimming the nu.
"Xiaoya, how long have you known him?"
"About a month. We’ve t three or four tis. He seems okay."
They chatted leisurely for half an hour, but the civil servant still hadn’t shown up. Yan Xixi was becoming a bit restless, so Xu Xiaoya quickly called him. He said he was "just about to arrive."
His "just about to arrive" took another twenty minutes. By the ti the fellow finally sauntered in, he was already fifty minutes late.
Yan Xixi loathed lateness. Who did he think he was? A big-shot celebrity? Was he intentionally putting on airs? Her initial good impression of the man instantly plumted. Still, she saw he was quite tall with small eyes. His laugh wasn’t particularly charming. Xu Xiaoya, however, evidently found a hint of roguishness in it that she considered very attractive.
After brief introductions, Yan Xixi said no more and simply busied herself looking at the nu.
The man imdiately took the nu from her, saying, "Let , let ."
Well, that’s more like it, Yan Xixi thought. But the mont he started ordering, she was taken aback: three dishes and one soup seed fine, but—it was two vegetarian dishes, a vegetable soup, and Mapo Tofu...
Xu Xiaoya couldn’t stand it any longer and said, "Please add an order of spicy pork ribs. Tonight’s on ."
The civil servant chuckled. "These days, everyone’s advocating for thriftiness and the ’Clean Plate Campaign.’ Eating more vegetables is healthier. Waitress, add one order of spicy pork ribs. Make it a large one."
Yan Xixi said nothing more after this, keeping her head down and playing with her phone without uttering a word.
The civil servant, however, was quite the talker—humorous and witty. He cracked one joke after another, both clean and risqué, sending Xu Xiaoya into fits of laughter.
Suddenly, Yan Xixi asked, "Do you own a house?"
"Yes."
"Is it mortgaged?"
The man frowned but still answered, "My parents made the down paynt; I’m paying the mortgage myself."
"Will you add your wife’s na to the deed after marriage?"
He glared at her, thinking, This woman is so vulgar and rcenary. She’s not even old, yet she already has the attitude of a ddling mother-in-law!
"Miss, my parents made the down paynt, not !"
"Will your parents live with you after you get married?"
"Of course! It’s only right and proper for parents to live with their son. Being unfilial to your parents is an offense punishable by lightning! Not to brag, but civil servants are highly sought after. I’ve been introduced to several beautiful, wealthy girlfriends before. However, they were all too pampered and unwilling to live with their in-laws. I couldn’t stand that, so we broke up..."
The dishes were finally served. Yan Xixi was about to start eating when she noticed the man concentrating solely on the pork ribs. He quickly polished off four or five of them from the large platter, not even touching the vegetarian dishes...
She glanced at Xu Xiaoya, who also looked a bit awkward and gave a forced laugh.
And just like that, Yan Xixi lost her appetite completely.
Once the ribs were gone and he’d had his fill of rice, the man leaned back, picking his teeth, and asked, "Do you ladies have any plans for the evening? How about next week I invite you to my bachelor pad? I’ll cook for you myself!"
At that mont, the waitress brought the bill over, habitually handing it to the man. "Sir, that’s ¥118 in total. If you don’t need a receipt, it’s ¥110."
The civil servant’s gaze shifted to Xu Xiaoya.
Yan Xixi stood up, took the bill, and said calmly, "Let’s go AA. How about this, Buddy? Since you ate three-quarters of the ribs, you pay ¥50. Xiaoya and I will each pay ¥30. Alright, I’ll pay our sixty now. As for the rest, Miss, you can get it from him..."
She imdiately took ¥60 from her wallet and handed it to the waitress. The man’s face instantly turned the color of liver.
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